Because contrary to popular believe and myth the A388 is not so much bigger than the B744 when fitted out in typical legacy long haul configuration.

Examples in current configurations:
Qantas have 450
Singapore have 480
Emirates have 489

Cathay manage upto 350 on the current 744

Further Hong Kong is yet to be slot constrained and the only route so effected in the CPA network is Heathrow however even here CPA actually have sufficient to operate 4 passenger flights a day AND maintain some cargo rotations as well.

So all in all the A388 is not a good investment to them.

The growth A389 however may well have better operating number than the A388 and in a medium density configuration be ideal for the region routes (Mainland China) as the world economy recovers again.

Cathay Pacific is facing a market changed dramatically from the 1990s when the new HKG was opened. Guangzhou Baiyun airport handles 33 million pax and Shenzhen airport handles 21 million pax. In addition, China Southern now has 304 aircraft compared to Cathay Pacific's 170 and Dragonair's 33.

With increased competition and the rise of CAN as a major international entry point, Cathay will probably find it can provide the service the market requires using B777 and A350 aircraft. The rationale for them to purchase VL aircraft is gone.

Quoting Rutankrd (Reply 1):Examples in current configurations:
Qantas have 450
Singapore have 480
Emirates have 489

Yes, but look at the 744 capacity in SQ and QF:SQ has 471 seats in the a380, but 375 in the 744.QF has 450 seats in the a380, but QF's 4 class 744 has 351 seats (the a380 is also 4 class). The 3 class 744's of QF have 343-379 seats.

So the a380's are definitely much bigger than the 747, because IMHO 100 seats difference is a big difference.

Seeing the config of the a380 with other carriers, the a380 will eat at least 450 for CX. Still a big upgrade compared to the 744's.

I agree that it seems odd that they suddenly need the a389. I doubt that they actually do. I understand they want a bit more range out of the a380, but I'm not sure why. The a388R should solve that issue anyway.

Depending on how they deploy their 77Ws, if they have a city pair that receives two 77Ws within two hours of each other and neither plane carries much belly cargo volume, you could replace those two 77Ws with one A389 (in terms of passenger capacity).